Roland RD700NX vs. Yamaha CP5 vs. Clavia Nord Stage 2

[zzAARzz]

You must make a choice: You want 1 keyb all in 1 for fast and comfortable gigging or Rick Wakeman's gig setup?

[Dave Ferris]

Worst gear move I ever made, selling my CP5 a year ago this May. I've been using the Nord Piano 2 since and while the whole weight/schlep issue is better, I really miss the responsive action and less harsh overall sound of the Yamaha CF grand over the Nord Pianos. The Nords in certain poor acoustic rooms have a tendency of grating on my ears...even with my fairly high end monitor system. I also highly struggle with the Fatar action when playing any uptempo jazz. Anything over say 135 for the half note, and my fluidness is gone on that keyboard. The CP5 responded more like a piano at fast tempos....much smoother.

Even though the weight and bulk is more, I'm willing to suck it up for certain gigs , so consequently I've been scouring the LA Craigslists for a CP5 in excellent condition. Will still hold onto the Nord for the time being for gigs were set up space is tight and the load in is less then musician friendly. On many gigs I'm thankful for the Nord but the bottom line is..I always play and sound better on the CP5.

Never could get comfortable with the, imo, uneven, quirky sound of the 700NX's Concert Grand. The Studio Grand plays more even, but is less thick then the Concert. I've never used the NX live but had problems in the past with the 700GX cutting through live....even in an acoustic type jazz trio. It's a shame because the 700NX probably has the richest, most complex sound out of all three for solo playing along with the most balls in low end, but again, I'd be skeptical about the 700NX working for me live after past experiences with Roland.

All three are at the top of the class and above the Kronos as far as piano player connection to the sound and keyboard. Again my order of preference is-Cp5, Nord Piano, 700NX and Kronos.

[bluesbaba]

here is a new alternative from studioligic sounds very interesting:

[bluesbaba]

Looks and sounds interesting

[Gustavo]

If I wanted the best action, I think I'd get this one as a controller: http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/digit ... vpc-1.html

I have a Kawai RX1 Grand Piano, and their action is fantastic. I liked it better than the C1's. If I had the money, and the back to actually bring this everywhere, I'd midied this with my NS2 and use it for pianos.

[Dave Ferris]

In that demo video the Numa Concert sounds very good to me. In fact just from the vid, I like what I'm hearing more over the much talked about Casio PX5's piano, at least from the casio demos I've heard on soundcloud. I've never played the PX-5 so I can't comment on that..but have played the PX-350 and for me, that particular Casio didn't come up to the Yamaha CP50 or P155.

My reservation with the Numa Concert, is that in the US, Studiologic has zero presence in regard to in store demo and support through dealers. A few people that have bought earlier Numas have had problems with OS but have been taken care of by the distributor. Being an Italian company maybe all of that is better in Europe...I don't know. Personally , I'm not the kind of guy who likes to take chances on build quality or other issues related to the software/electronics. That why I'm glad I stayed clear of the Kronos.

In that area all of the 3 the op mentioned are worry free units with a solid build quality.

Another option might be the new Kurzweil Artis that just previewed at Musikmesse. Early low quality you tube videos are inconclusive as to whether Kurz has upped their game with this new German sample. It's one of those things were we'll probably have to wait till September when they start coming out to get a real honest hands/ears on evaluation. For those looking for ultra-lightweight like the casio, the Artis won't be it. It's reported to be 45-46 lbs.

[pjstingray]

Worst gear move I ever made,

All three are at the top of the class and above the Kronos as far as piano player connection to the sound and keyboard. Again my order of preference is-Cp5, Nord Piano, 700NX and Kronos.

Hi Dave

I agree with all your points, so much so that I am now going to keep the CP5. To sell it would mean I was selling the better piano - apart from organ sounds - just to save carrying the weight. It will probably end up being just a home keyboard, unless the gig space allows to take both ( I would need to take a roadie as well)

Good luck finding another - the UK dealer offered me exactly half what I paid for mine - so I luckily I didn't do a trade in, but that is the sort of price you will probably get one for.

[Dave Ferris]

If I wanted the best action, I think I'd get this one as a controller: http://www.kawaius.com/main_links/digit ... vpc-1.html.

The new Kawai, coupled with the Nord pianos, for home use, is probably the best way to go. I played it at NAMM and it's a wonderful action ! Best I've felt and only surpassed by the Yamaha Avantgrands. I'm not one into computers for music or software pianos, but I would think the VPC-1 would bring out much more nuance and eliminate that sometimes brittle quality (at least for me) on the Nord's Bosendorfer/Fazioli/ Studio Grand 2/ Grand Lady D...thus making the whole Nord piano playing experience much more enjoyable...especially for those coming from an acoustic piano background.

For live the VPC-1 isn't all that practical at, I think 60 lbs. On the other hand I carted around a CP300 for a few years for certain higher profile concerts and club dates...and that was 72 lbs. I won't ever gig with a laptop and soft pianos but if Clavia ever came out with a piano rack, I would seriously look into going that route. I still feel Nord has the best detail in their pianos, I just have a hard time with their keyboards and lack of velocity levels which can make the pianos less smooth for me at least.

[Gustavo]

I still feel Nord has the best detail in their pianos, I just have a hard time with their keyboards and lack of velocity levels which can make the pianos less smooth for me at least.

Couldn't agree more!! I still have my Nord Stage 88 Classic and even though my NS2 SW has long release, string resonance and such, the NS88 classic sounds better because its played better.

After I saw that VPC1 keyboard (which is not only for VST use, it also has traditional midi) I am heavily considering to sell the NS88 (as it only gets used as a home keyboard) and get the VPC1 to control the NS2 SW.

Also, I think the Casio piano is not something of this world. But what makes the PX5S exciting is the weight, the decent action, the good sounding pianos and the quality of other sounds (specially EPs and Clavs) plus the decent synth sound enginge. When I think about the PX5S I think its like a NS2 for cheap (with worse hands-on interface).

Coincidentally, I got to test out for a few minutes the RD700NX. The keyboard does feel weird and the sound is good, but I prefer the Nord's.

[dazzjazz]

Last night I played my first gig on my NS2 in about 6 weeks. I've been busy doing organ gigs on my KeyB Duo, which I love!

Anyway, last night was a jazz gig, a quartet. While I enjoyed the Ns2, I could help but think the Studio Grand 2 is the only useable sound for me in that situation. It has the longest sustain. During bass solos I tried comping using the Fazioli or Bosendorfers and I didn't last more than 4 bars. Just horrible.

I might sell it and return to a cheaper Yamaha or something.